(4-22-2010) CECIL, GA – After rain postponed the completion of last month’s ADRL Universal Technical Institute Dragpalooza VI in Baytown, TX, Pro Nitrous veteran Charles Carpenter is looking to build on the career best performances he posted at Houston Raceway Park.
Returning to the very facility where he suffered a catastrophic crash one year earlier, Carpenter set career best marks in both elapsed time and speed this time around in Baytown, laying down a 3.929 at 192.82 MPH to land in the fifth qualifying position heading into eliminations. But Mother Nature wouldn’t allow those eliminations to be contested, forcing Carpenter and the rest of the ADRL to pack up and return to Houston to complete the event later in the season.
As the only Pro Nitrous machine to successfully make all three qualifying passes under power, Carpenter says he was in prime position to capitalize on that consistency in eliminations.
“I really felt like that was a race we could win,” Carpenter said. “It’s so important for us to get down the track consistently, and we had done that and with some great numbers to boot. With the changing atmospheric and track conditions, it’s certainly anyone’s game, but our ’55 Bel Air could do no wrong that weekend. I was extremely disappointed it got rained out.”
Carpenter and his veteran crew are rolling through the gates at South Georgia Motorsports park with that same outlook, but know it will be a totally different ballgame when the cars hit the track on Friday morning.
“We hope to just pick up right where we left off in Houston, but that’s always easier said than done,” said Carpenter. “SGMP is usually a top-notch track, but the conditions are going to be much warmer this weekend than they were in Houston. We’ll just have to adjust after the opening round of qualifying and apply power as needed to compensate for the air and track surface.”
Carpenter missed the 2008 edition of the Georgia Drags while his ’55 Chevy was under construction, and also was not present at last year’s race in Valdosta due to the crash at the prior race in Houston.
“We haven’t raced here in three years,” Carpenter added. “We’re behind on data and have none for this car on this track other than the three runs we made in testing last month, so that adds another challenge for this weekend, but I’m excited to get back on this racing surface.”
After racing his iconic purple-and-yellow ’55 Chevy in various stages of repair for almost a year, Carpenter also is excited about finally returning to form with fresh paint from Reed Robbins’ East Coast Refinishing at next month’s ADRL US Drags at Virginia Motorsports Park. But for this weekend, the car will carry a uniform coat of primer gray.
“With our schedule and resources, this is the only way we could get it done,” Carpenter said. “After Houston we stripped the car down and took it to East Coast Refinishing so they could get the bodywork done. Earlier this week we picked up the car, put it back together, will run it this weekend in primer, then strip it apart again to be painted and put it back together one last time before we head to Virginia. It’s been a long arduous road, but I think everyone will be glad when the car is back to 100% and we can completely move forward with a fully repaired car. Besides that, everyone will have to stop ribbing me about my ugly ole’ patched up race car.”
Charles Carpenter Racing would like to thank Paul Albino and Total Induction Tuning Solutions, MagnaFuel, DMP Awnings, Doherty Motorsports, Custom Autosound, WFO Racing & Machine, Santhuff Suspension Specialties, Alan Pittman Race Cars, Terry Murphy Race Cars, Dennis Radford & Tom Hemphill, Fulton Competition, Hairy Glass, Pro Glass, TEK Headers, JAZ Products, Weld Racing, Stroud Safety, Safety Solutions, RJS Safety Equipment, Goodridge Hose & Fittings, Goodyear, Friction Unlimited, Racepak, Bell Helmets, Reed Robbins & East Coast Refinishing, Indocil Art, RH2Way, and VP Racing Fuels for their continued support.
Carpenter is actively seeking primary sponsorship for 2010. For more information about Charles Carpenter Racing and the World’s Fastest ’55 Chevy, or for a copy of the team’s Marketing Partnership Guide, visit www.fastest55.com.
Photo by Ian Tocher
